Pile.



Patented May 7, 190|.

No. 673,443.y G. L. MDUCHEL.

' PILE.

(Application led May 15, 1900.)

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Patented may 7, lem. G. L. MoucHEL.

PILE.

(Application led May 16, 1900.;

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(Application Med. May 15, 1900.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE LOUIS MOUOHEL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND;`

sPEcIFIoArrIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,443, dated May 7',190i. Application led May 15, 1900. Serial No. 16,725, (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GSTAVE LOUIS MOU- CHEL, engineer, of 124 Holborn,London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPiles and Pile-Like Structures, of which the followingisaspecification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved and cheapconstruction of pile as a substitute for the wooden piles and iron pilesat present used, which are extremely expensive in the great lengths andcross-sectional dimensions required for marine works and which arecomparatively short-lived, because wooden piles are liable to wet anddry rot and also to the attacks of worms and other boring marineanimals, while iron piles quickly rust away.

lt has therefore been proposed to use piles made of concrete, which isnot liable to rot or to destruction by marine animals or by rust; butthe concrete piles hitherto employed or proposed have been solid, sothat they have the following great disadvantages: Their great weightentails almost prohibitive expense in removing them from their molds,carrying them to store, and transporting them to the place of use andthen handling them in erecting and driving them, more especially inthose cases in which the piles have to be sent by sea to distant placeswhere there is no skilled labor and suitable materials are veryexpensive, so that the piles cannot be made on the site of the work tobe erected.

ln order to reduce the number of piles in foundations, and consequentlyalso the cost, there is a tendency to use fewer piles, but of muchgreater diameter. As the weight increases in the same ratio as thedia1neter,these heavier piles` necessitate very special and costlyplant-such as much more powerful cranes, hoisting tackle, and piledrivers than are generally used in this class of work, so that at last astage is soon reached where almost the whole energy of the blows of thepile-driver is absorbed and neutralized by the great mass of the pile,which merely constitutes an anvil for the blows of the pile-driver, thatacts solely to crush the concrete pile without causing it to penetratefarther into the ground. For instance, in very weak ground, where onecannot rely upon meeting any solid strata and where one can only relyupon the skin friction of the pile, one has great advantage in making,say, three large hollow piles with the same quantity of ma' terials thatwould go into two solid ones.

Owing to the great weight of solid concrete piles they cannot carry asgreat a safe load as a lighter pile, because both theory and practice,show that the safe load on a pile after having been driven into theground diminishes with'an increase in the weight of the pile.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of piles andpile-like structures composed of concrete rammed or molded andstrengthened by means of a metal skeleton or framework which shall notbe liable to corrosion. i

According to this invention I make the piles and pile-like structureshollow or cellular, with the object of reducing their weight, andthereby increasing their carrying capacity.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a longitudinal section -of asingle pile construct-ed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is across-section on the line A B of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a cross-section onthe line C D of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in verticalsection, of part of a pile for supporting a sewage-outfall pipe. Fig. 5is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of part of a pile suitablefor use in sand. Fig. 6 is a Vertical section,part1y in elevation, ofasheetpile. Fig. 7 is across-section on the line E F of Fig. 6. Figs. 8and 9 are a vertical and a horizontal section, respectively, of thejoint between two adjacent lengths of a pile; and Fig. lO is amodification.

Figs. 2 and 3 are drawn to a larger scale than Fig. l.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, l is a rigid strengthening metalskeleton or framework IOO same horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 2. Oneor more of these upright bars 2 may be made tubular or in the form ofpipes or tubes. Concrete 4 is rammed or molded in between the members ofthe skeleton 1 and around the skeleton to form the body of the pile ofany desired external contour (square in the figures) in cross-section.The concrete is also rammed or molded around the inner side of theskeleton, so as to completely envelop the latter and prevent it frombeing affected by corrosion, due to external influences. Alt the time oframming or molding the concrete 4 to form the body of the pile a centralcavity 5, of circular shape in cross-section, extending throughout thepile for the greater part of its length, is formed by introducing in thecentral space inclosed by the skeleton a core or mandrel of suitableshape, which will allow concrete to be rammed or molded to form thewalls 4 of the pile without iilling the central cavity with concrete.This core or mandrel is removed after the operation of' molding.

The foot 6 of the pile is made solid and is inclosed in a pointed metalshoe 7. The head and the lower portion of the pile, which are mostaffected by the strains set up in driving the pile, are provided withcentral longitudinal cavities 8 and 9, respectively, of equal size incross-section,but considerablysmaller than the cavity 5 in the body ofthe pile.

At suitable intervals along the length of the body of the pile theupright bars 2 are stayed together by means of a double set of struts,formed with forked ends to embrace the upright bars. The upper set,situated at every alternate interval, consists of two iron bars 10 10,arranged so as to form two sides of a triangle and acting to stay twocorner upright bars 2 on the same side with the central upright bar 2 onthe opposite side. The lower set consists of two bars 11 1'1, arrangedat a small distance below the upper set and serving to stay anothercentral upright bar with a corner upright bar already stayed by a bar 10and an upright bar in the diagonally opposite corner.

At every other interval the double set of struts consists of stay bars12 and 13, arranged, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8, to take in andsupport the upright bars 2 that are not already stayed by the sets ofbars 10 and 11. Each double set ot' struts is rammed up with concrete inthe form of a diaphragm 4, which completely surrounds the said strutsand extends partly across the central cavity of the pile, leaving only asmall central opening v14 which is not filled with concrete. Thesediaphragms 4, with their metal framework of struts, act asdistance-pieces to stiften the walls of the pile and to prevent the saidwalls from caving in under the blows of the pile-driver and the pressureof the surrounding ground.

Fig. 4 shows a pile which is intended to support large pipes, such asare vemployed for sewage outfalls into the sea, Waterworks, gas

and electric mains, and similar works. It is made with a forked orcrescent-shaped head 15, having a concave bearing-surface to receive thepipe 16. 17 is a bearing slab or plate or collar, which is intended torest on the surface of the ground when the pile has been driven and toaid in supporting the pile in soft or loose ground. The head 15 and slab17 are molded together, but separate from the body 4 ofthe pile, theupper end of which is formed with a recess 4", into which the head andslab are afterward fixed and securely grouted inafter the pile has beendriven. By this means any inaccuracy in the position of the pile can beremedied within wide limits `after driving they pile. lis a projectingportion, molded on the under side of the slab 17 for the purpose ofaffording a good hold in the grouting.

Fig. 5 shows a pile with the bearing slab or plate 172L formed on thelower portion of the pile just above the foot or shoe. This form of pileis intended for use in cases where there is a firm stratum underneath aconsiderable depth of loose or soft ground. The foot 6 of the pileenters the firm stratum, upon the top of which the slab 17a rests andaids in supporting the top load.

In all cases where the piles are to be driven by the blows of apile-driver care must be takenin the molding that thetops of the uprightbars of the metal skeleton are covered with a layer of concrete at leastthree to four inches thick. For the purpose of driving the pile I thenplace around the head of the pile or sheet-pile a metal helmet or opentube or cylinder of suitable shape and section. I lill the cylinder witha suitable mixture of cork or india-rubber waste or other suitableelastic substance and sand, sawdust, ashes, or line coke-breeze or anyother suitable pulverulent substance. The admixture of an elasticsubstance to the pulverulent substance has for its object to prevent thehardening of the latter under the blows of the pile-driver. I may,however, use the elastic substance by itself in some cases. I have foundthat old bagging or sacking properly fixed on the head of 'the pile andbetween the latter and-the cylinder referred to above is the best meansof preventing the layer or cushion of pulverulent matter from escaping.On top of the lling I place a rigid plate of metal of about the sameshape in section as the internal caviy of the cylinder, and on top ofthis plate I rest the lower part of a wooden dolly of suitable shape andconstruction, which is intended toreceive the blows of the pile-driver,or I may simply inte'rpose between the head of the pile and the foot ofthe dolly a cushion of any substance likely to soften the jar of theblow, such as old rags, paper, timber, lead, or the like.

I may employ the usual forms of shoes with my improved piles; but in thecase of piles which are hollow throughout or which have an open hollowfoot or point I preferably em- IOO IOS

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ploy cast-iron or cast-steel shoes having open ends or points, withtheir inner or outer sides tapering to a sharp or chisel edge.

All that precedes concerning single piles applies equally tosheet-piling.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a sheet-pile 18, of rectangular form incross-section, with a longitudinal central cavity 18a, also ofrectangular form in cross-section. In one of the two sides of the pilewhich are intended to abut against the corresponding sides of theadjacent piles there is formed a semicircular groove 19, extending fromthe top to the foot of the pile. In the other or opposite side there isformed a similar groove 20. 21 represents pieces or strips of metalembedded in the pile at intervals of its length on the side of thegroove 20 and projecting from the said groove 2O to some distance insidethe groove 19 in the adjacent pile, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7,)but not coming in contact with said adjacent pile. 22 represents holesformed in the wall of the pile between every two strips 2l and aordingcommunication between the central cavity 18a and the groove 20. 23 is apipe leading from the head of the piledown along the inside of thecavity 18a. It is provided at its lower end with two oppositely-directedhorizontal branches 23a, opening out on the outside of the pile-foot.Through this pipe 23 water under high pressure can be forced out at thepile-foot while the pile is being driven,with the object of reducing thefriction by opening up the ground and facilitating the sinking of thepile where such aid is required. Either pressure-water alone or thesimultaneous application of pressure-water and of the piledriver may beused for this purpose. When the pile has been driven home, the pipe 23may be used for the purpose of forcing pure cement groutinto the soilaround the shoe. This grout forms a mortar, which solidies around theshoe and forms a kind of bed-plate or foundation, which greatlyincreases the bearing capacity of the pile.

The horizontal direction of the branches 23a prevents their being chokedwith soil during the driving. When the piles have been driven to formthe sheet-piling, poor concrete or sand may be run through the cavity1S!a into the lower portions of the sheet-piles until the ground-levelis reached. Then rich grout is forcedinto the cavity 18u in the upperportions, whence it exudes and finds its Way through the lateral holes22, tills up the cavities formed by the grooves 19 2O between thesheet-piles,and surrounds the metal strips 21, thus making a perfectjoint, which when hardened by reason of the metal strips affordsabsolute rigidity and strength of connection between every two adjacentsheet-piles and by reason of the grout gives a perfect monolithiccharacter to the wall of sheet-piles. The pipe 23 may also be moldedinor embedded in the wall or cement of the pile at the time of molding.Fig. 10 shows such a pile. Pipes, such as 23, with branches 23a,

may also be provided in the single piles hereinbefore described.

In piles of great length the metal skeleton is made in sections joinedtogether by means of a joint constructed as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, inwhich 36 is a metal joint piece or ring with as many perforations as arerequired to allow the vertical bars 34 at the ends of two abuttingpile-sections to pass through in staggered order. There are thereforetwice as many holes in the joint as there are vertical bars to beconnected. The vertical bars are screw-threaded at their ends for alength a little greater than the height ot' the joint-piece 36, with theadditional length required to receive two nuts 37, one on the upper andone on the lower side of the joint-piece, after the vertical bars havebeen threaded through. When the two sections of the skeleton have beenjoined and Screwed together, the whole joint between the concreteportions of the pile-sections is then surrounded with quick-settingcement or concrete, so as to enable the driving of the pile to berestarted without any great loss of time. By providing a jointconnecting together two sections of pile I am enabled to sink or driveshort lengths at a time.

In general by making concrete piles with a strengthening-skeleton ofmetal and with a longitudinal central cavity vthe weight of such pilesis considerably reduced and their load-carrying capacity is therebyincreased. As a result of the considerable reduction in their weightsuch piles may be made under economical conditions at any spotconvenient for obtaining the raw materials and may then be carried,either whole or in sections, ata low cost for freight to the place ofuse and with considerable economy in time and cost of handling anddriving or erecting the same. An additional advantage consists in thatsuch hollow `piles require less rich concrete and metal than if theywere made solid. Once delivered at the place of use and driven home, thecentral cavity may be filled up with poor cement, sand, or the like, ifdesired. The piles as well as the upright bars may be made of anysuitable shape in cross-sectionsquare, round, oval, ovoidal,rectangularand with a smooth grooved or tinted contour. The bars will bearranged in a shape or figure corresponding to that of the section ofthe pile.

The stiffening-diaphragrns may be made with or without astrengthening-skeleton of metal, and they may be made solid or withapertures to allow grout or sand or other material to be introduced intothe cavities of the pile.

In all the modifications hereinbefore described one or more of thevertical or other members of the rigid strengthening metal skeleton maybe made tubular or in the form of pipes or tubes.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

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l. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete andhaving a central longitudinal cavity, a rigid strengthening longitudinal metal skeleton embedded in the concrete, andstiffening-diaphragms of concrete molded with the body 'and extendingacross the centrallongitudinal cavity, substantially as set forth.

2. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete andhaving a central longitudinal cavity, a rigid strengthening longitudinalmetal skeleton embedded in the concrete, stiffening-diaphragms ofconcrete molded with the body and extending across the central cavity,and strengthening metal skeletons embedded in the said concretediaphragme, substantially as set forth.

3. In a pile, the combinationvof a pile-body composed of concrete andhaving a central longitudinal cavity, a rigid strengthening longitudinalmetal skeleton embedded in the concrete, stiffening-diaphragms ofconcrete molded with the body and extending across said centrallongitudinal cavity, and formed with apertures affording communicationbetween the overlying and underlying portions of the centrallongitudinal cavity, and strengthening metal skeletons stayed toopposite portions of the longitudinal metal skeleton and embedded in theconcrete diaphragme, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete andformed with a cavity in its top, a loose pile-head of concrete formedwith a concave bearing-surfacein its top, and with a lower portionadapted to enter and be fixed by grouting in the cavity in the top ofthe pile-body, and a bearing slab or plate molded with the pile-headbelow the concave bearing-surface thereof, substantially as set forth. l

5. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete, and abearing slab or collar molded in one piece with the pile-body at anintermediate point of the length of the pile-body, substantially as setforth.

6. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete and abearing slab or collar molded with the pile-body near the lower end ofsaid pile-body, substantially as set forth. f

7. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete andformed with a central longitudinal cavity, alongitudinal groove moldedin one side of the pile-body, a longitudinal groove molded in theopposite side of the pile-body, pieces of metal embedded in the concretebody at intervals along its length and projecting into and beyond thelast-mentioned groove, and apertures formed in the pile-body on the sideof the said lastmentioned groove in between the said pieces of metal,and affording communication between the central longitudinal cavity ofthe pile-body and the said last-mentioned groove, substantially as setforth.

8. In a pile, the combination o f a pile-body composed of concrete andformed with a centra-l longitudinal cavity, a rigid strengtheninglongitudinal metal skeleton embedded in the concrete, a pile-shoeconnected to said pile-body, a pipe leading down inside the pile to theshoe, and branch pipes connecting said pipe with orifices formed in thesides of the pile-shoe, whereby water or grout under pressure can beforced out around the pile-shoe, substantially as set forth.

9. In a pile, the combination of a pile-body composed of concrete andformed with a cen-V tral longitudinal cavity, a rigid strengtheninglongitudinal metal skeleton embedded in the concrete, a pile-shoeconnected to said pile-body, a pipe embedded in the concrete of thepile-body, and branch pipes leading from the said pipe to orificesformed in the sides of the pile-shoe, whereby water or grout underpressure can be forced out around the pile-shoe, substantially as setforth.

l0. In a pile, the combination of a pilebody of concrete molded inlengths, vertical longitudinal metal bars embedded in each pile lengthand formed with screw-threaded ends projecting at the ends of each pilelength, a metal screw-piece formed with holes to receive thescrew-threaded ends of the vertical bars of two adjacent lengths of thepile-body, nuts screwing on said screw-threaded ends against the upperand lower faces of said metal piece, and a cement joint filling up thespace between the concrete of the two adjacent pile lengths andsurrounding the metal parts in said space, whereby two adjacent lengthsof the pile-body are securely jointed together, substantially as setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GUSTAVE LOUIS MOUCHEL.

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